Control apparatus



June 1938. F. l. WILLIAMS 2,122,017

CONTROL APPARATUS Filed March 19, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jill 6712072722i ffl Zlliams Z @@W W J Zia altar/rays June I WILLIAMS 2,122,017

CONTROL APPARATU S Filed March 19, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 71419 02 vzeysPatented June 28, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTROL APPARATUSApplication March 19, 1931, Serial No. 523,765

10 Claims.

This invention pertains to control apparatus and relates more especiallyto apparatus of the type in which a clock mechanism controls theoperation of two or more electrical switches, the principal object ofthe invention being to provide apparatus of this general type which isof simple and practical construction and which comprises a singlemanually movable part which is effective to predetermine the respectivetimes at which such switches shall be actuated. One suggested utilityfor such control apparatus is in the automatic control of a centrifugalextractor.

Other and further objects, advantages and utilities of the inventionwill be made manifest in the following more detailed description and byreference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation to small scale of a timer mechanismembodying certain features of the invention;

Fig. l is a fragmentary front elevation to larger scale showing certaindetails of the timer mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the timer mechanism of Fig. 1 but tolarger scale and with the back member removed;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fi 2;

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating one desirable arrangement of electricalconnections embodied in the control apparatus; and

Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are diagrammatic views illustrating the relationbetween the indicating devices of the timing mechanism and the switchescontrolled thereby.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l designates the casing of thetiming mechanism, said casing being supported upon a base 2 and havingthe front wall 3 (Fig. 3) and the removable rear wall 4. The front wallis provided with a glazed opening 5 which receives the dial 6,

suitably graduated, for example, to indicate minutes, and having anopening at its center through which projects the staff or spindle I. Aknob or handle 8 is secured to the forward end of this staff andprovides means whereby the staff may be turned manually, the staffconstituting means for winding the spring of the clock mechanism of thetimer, thereby to start its operation, and also actuating certain switchcontacts as hereafter described. The staff also carries a sleeve 9 (Fig.1 which is connected at its rear end to certain parts of the timing mechanism and which may be turned independently of the staff. In front ofthe dial are mounted the indicator levers l0 and H upon the staff 1 andthe sleeve 9, respectively, having the index pointers I0 and Il Theindex lever I0 is hereafter referred to as the main indicator or lever,and the lever II as the auxiliary indicator or lever. The auxiliarylever II is provided with a segmental member I2 (Fig. 1*) whichunderlies the end of the lever Ill, and this segment II is provided atits opposite ends with forwardly projecting ears l3 and 14 preferablyfurnished with screw threaded openings for reception of the adjustableabutment elements l5 and [6 respectively. These ears l3 and I4 and/orthe stop elements 15 and iii, if the latter are employed, constituteabutments for limiting the relative movement of the levers l0 and H.

The clock mechanism of the timer is contained in a case I! (Fig. 2)secured to the back of the wall 3 of the casing, and this clockmechanism should be of any suitable type comprising for example a springor other power storing device which is energized by turning the staff 7,such clock mechanism comprising usual escapement mechanism or governingmeans which determines the rate at which it shall run, it beingunderstood that when the staff 7 is turned, for example to the right,the spring is thereby energized, and when the handle 8 is released thespring immediately starts to return the staff I and the sleeve to theirinitial positions at a predetermined speed. Since such clock mechanismsare well known in the art as illustrated for example in Patents Nos.1,395,098, 1,493,771, and 1,705,458, it is unnecessary to describe themechanism of this timer in further detail.

Preferably within the casing l, I provide a signal bell l8 and also twosignal elements such as electric lamps I9 and 20 disposed behindopenings 2| and 22 in the front wall 3 of the casing. Such openings arepreferably provided with colored bulls-eyes 23 and 24 respectively, oneof said bulls-eyes being red for example, and the other of some othercolor, for example green. or if preferred, uncolored so as to transmitwhite light. The casing l is preferably furnished with a socket 25 forthe reception of the end of a conductor cable 26 and with a secondsocket 27 adapted to receive a plug in the end of a cord 29 having aplug 28 which may be plugged into a suitable socket to provide electriccurrent for actuating the lamps I9 and 20, the signal bell I8, and asolenoid 45 hereafter described.

The operation of the apparatus is substantially as follows, it beingassumed that the indicator levers l0 and II are substantially in theposition indicated in Fig. 5. The operator grasps the handle or knob 8of the timer device and turns it to the right, as viewed in Figs. 1 and5. Since in the initial position an abutment member M (or IE) is spacedfrom the main indicator lever in, the pointer [0 is permitted to move tothe right of the pointer ll before it engages the abutment of the leverH. As the pointer l0 passes the zero point of the scale the switch 55'isopened, and at the same time controlling switch 55 is closed. When theindicator l0 strikes the abutment forwardly with the indicator lever Illand as the pointer l I passes the zero of the scale the switch 51 isclosed, preferably momentarily. As the indicator lever II is moved asdescribed the switch 58 is also closed, thus closing a signal circuitbeginning at the plug 28 and including the switch 58, the white (orgreen) signal lamp 20 and leading back to the plug 28. The white signallamp is thus caused to burn. The switch 56 has already been opened asdescribed and the signal [9 and the bell l8 remain inactive.

The operator may now move the handle as much farther to the right as isnecessary to set the index pointers Ill and H to the desired period ofoperation. If it be desired to have the stop signals l8 and l 9 operatefor a certain period, the handle is now turned to the left to carry thepointer l0 to the left of pointer I l such movement being limited forconvenience by the abutment l3. The apparatus now continues to operatethe indicators l0 and II slowly moving back toward initial position. Atthe end of the predetermined period the index ID" will have re turned tozero and at substantially this time the switch 55 is opened. (It is tobe noted that the switch 57 is at this time open having been closed onlymomentarily). At substantially the same time the switch 55 is opened theswitch 56 is closed. As the indicator lever I0 reaches the zero pointbefore the indicator lever H has returned to its initial position(providing the parts have been set as above described), the lattercontinues to move. As the index ll nears the zero position the switch 51is momentarily closed but without effect since the circuit has beenbroken at the switch 55 and as the index I l reaches the zero positionthe switch 53 is opened, breaking the circuit through all of thesignals. Thus by varying the distance between the abutments l5 and I6the period that the stop signals will operate may be varied, it beingnoted that these signals automatically stop after a predetermined timeso that waste of current is avoided.

While I have herein disclosed a desirable embodiment of the invention,it is to be understood that various changes in detail of constructionand specific arrangement of parts and the substitution of equivalentsmay be made without de parting from the spirit of the invention, andwhile the control apparatus as here shown is of utility in connectionwith the centrifugal extractor it is not necessarily limited to suchuse.

I claim:

1. Control apparatus of the class described comprising a pair ofindicators manually movable from initial position to an advancedposition, one of said indicators having spaced abutments on oppositesides of the other indicator and disposed in the path of movement of theother of said indicators and operative to limit its movements in bothdirections relative to the first indicator, means for automaticallymoving one of said in- M the indicator lever i I is then pushed dicatorsfrom advanced position back to initial position, interconnected electriccircuits including a plurality of switches, and connections be tweensaid switches and indicators constructed and arranged to operate theswitches successively during the advance movement of the indicators andduring the return movement again to operate the switches successively inreverse direction.

2. Control apparatus of the class described comprising a main indicatormanually movable from an initial position to an advanced position, asecond indicator having a portion movable along substantially the samepath of travel as the main indicator, spaced abutments on the mainindicator disposed on opposite sides of said portion of the secondindicator and operative to limit the movements of the second indicatorin both directions relative to the main indicator, drive means formoving one of the indicators from advanced position back to initialposition, a plurality of electric switches, and connections between saidswitches and indicators constructed and arranged to operate the switchesduring advance movement of said indicators and reversely operate saidswitches during return movement of said indicators.

3. Control apparatus of the class described comprising a main indicatormanually movable from an initial position to an advanced position, asecond indicator having a portion movable along substantially the samepath of travel as the main indicator, spaced abutments on the mainindicator disposed on opposite sides of said portion of the secondindicator and operative to limit the movements of the second indicatorin I both directions relative to the main indicator, automatic means forreturning both of said indicators back to initial position, a pair ofelectric switches, and connections between said switches and indicatorsconstructed and arranged to close said switches successively duringadvance movement of said indicators and to open said switchessuccessively during return movement of said indicators.

4. Control apparatus of the class described comprising a pair ofindicators manually movable from initial position to an advancedposition, one of said indicators having spaced abutments disposed onopposite sides of the other of said indicators operative to limit themovements of the latter in both directions relative to the former, drivemeans for returning said indicators from an advanced position back toinitial position, a plurality of double acting electric switches, andconnections between said switches and indicators constructed andarranged to operate said switches successively in one direction duringadvance movement of said indicators and to operate said switchessuccessively in reverse direction during return movement of saidindicators.

5. Control apparatus of the class described comprising a main indicator,a second indicator, the main indicator having spaced lugs disposed onopposite sides of the second indicator operative to limit the movementof said indicators in both directions relative to each other to apredetermined range, a handle for manually moving one of the indicatorsin either direction thereby to move the other indicator to a selectedset position after a predetermined movement of the first indicator, thelatter thereafter being movable relative to the other indicator within apredetermined range in the reverse direction, an electric switch controlmember actuable in response to movement of each indicator, and means formoving said indicators back to their initial position at a predeterminedrate of speed.

6. Control apparatus of the class described comprising a main indicator,a second indicator, the main indicator having spaced lugs disposed onopposite sides of the second indicator operative to limit the movementof said indicators in both directions relative to each other to apredetermined range, a handle for manually moving one of the indicatorsin either direction thereby to move the other indicator to a selectedset position after a predetermined movement of the first indicator, thelatter thereafter being movable relative to the other indicator within apredetermined range in the reverse direction, means for moving saidindicators back to their initial position at a predetermined rate ofspeed, interconnected electric circuits including a pair of switches,and connections between said switches and indicators operativesuccessively to close certain of said switches during advance movementof said indicators and during reverse movement to open the first closedswitch after a predetermined period of time and then the last closedswitch at a predetermined later time.

7. Control apparatus of the class described comprising a main indicator,a second indicator, the main indicator having spaced lugs disposed onopposite sides of the second indicator operative to limit the movementof said indicators in both directions relative to each other to apredetermined range, a handle for manually moving one of the indicatorsin either direction thereby to move the other indicator to a selectedset posi tion after a predetermined movement of the first indicator, thelatter thereafter being movable relative to the other indicator within apredetermined range in the reverse direction, means for moving saidindicators back to their initial positions at a predetermined rate ofspeed, interconnected electric circuits including a plurality ofswitches, and connections between said switches and indicatorsconstructed and arranged to close certain of said switches and openothers during advance movement of said indicators and during reversemovement to open the closed switches and close the open switches,thereby to produce coordinated effects in said circuits.

8. Control apparatus comprising a main indicator manually movable froman initial position to an advanced position, an auxiliary indicator, themain indicator having spaced abutment members disposed on opposite sidesof the auxiliary indicator, one of said abutment members beingengageable with said auxiliary indicator after the main indicator hasbeen advanced a predetermined distance from its initial position,thereby to advance said auxiliary indicator in response to furtheradvance movement of said main indicator, the other of said abutmentmembers being engageable with said auxiliary indicator after the mainindicator has returned a predetermined distance from its advancedposition, thereby to return said auxiliary indicator in response tofurther return movement of said main indicator, means for automaticallymoving said main indicator back to initial position at a predeterminedrate of speed, and electrical switches having parts constructed andarranged to operate the switches successively during the advancemovement of each indicator and which again operate the switches insuccession during the return movement of said indicators.

9. Controlling apparatus comprising switches, a clock mechanism, a mainindicator for determining the time of operation of one switch, anauxiliary indicator for determining the time of operation of anotherswitch, the main indicator being movable to either side of the auxiliaryindicator, lugs projecting from the auxiliary indicator into the path ofthe main indicator for limiting relative movement of the indicators, themovement of the main indicator in a predetermined direction starting theclock mechanism into action, setting the clock mechanism for apredetermined period of operation and closing a switch, said movementalso moving the auxiliary indicator thereby to close another switch, theclock mechanism being constructed and arranged upon release of the mainindicator to begin a slow return movement of both indicators towardnormal position.

10. Control apparatus of the class described,

comprising a plurality of electrical switches, an actuating element foreach switch, a single control member for moving said actuating elementsin a given direction for first operating one of said switches and thenanother, and automatic means for moving said actuating elements in thereverse direction whereby to operate the first actuated switch after apredetermined period of time and to operate the last actuated switch ata predetermined later time.

FRANK I. WILLIAMS.

